Exploring the value of respect through the story of 'Delightful the Horse'.
The video
JONAH: Hello, I'm Jonah and this is a story about a man and his horse.
Once, there was a very rich man who bought a horse at the market. He named the horse Delightful.
The owner loved the horse very much and they became great friends.
STORY NARRATOR: Over time, the horse grew big and strong and worked hard for the man, pulling heavy loads and working all the year round. He realised that he was lucky to have the man as his owner, so Delightful treated the man well and made him feel loved.
JONAH: One day, Delightful decided he wanted to do something special for the man to say thank you. So, he said, 'You should enter me for the strongest horse contest. I think I can win for you.' The man thought that would be great.
STORY NARRATOR: So, when the day of the competition came, the owner was very excited about the thought of winning.
OWNER: My horse is so strong; he could pull a hundred carts. I'm going to win that competition and that trophy.
KIDS: Ooh!
STORY NARRATOR: But when the contest began, the owner worried that Delightful wouldn't win, so he started to shout, 'Hurry up, you silly horse, and win me this contest!'
Delightful felt upset. The owner normally treated him with respect.
JONAH: The owner watched in shock as another horse won the competition. He was left feeling very embarrassed.
OWNER: I feel ashamed. I know that you can pull one hundred carts and more, but when the time came, you left me looking silly.
HORSE: But you treated me with disrespect by shouting at me in front of that crowd.
OWNER: You're right. I'm really sorry. You've always been very good to me.
HORSE: Well, thank you, and I promise that in the next contest, I will try to win, if you treat me with respect.
JONAH: When the contest day arrived, the owner asked Delightful to please pull the carts. He spoke to him kindly and with respect. The crowd thought that Delightful would embarrass the owner again and just stand still. But, he didn't, he heaved and he pulled and he won the contest!
STORY NARRATOR: And so the owner was rewarded for showing Delightful respect.
JONAH: Thanks for helping me tell this treasure story. It's based on an old Buddhist tale. We'll see you again soon. Bye-bye!
This story is a Buddhist story elsewhere called Delightful the Bull. In the story the man and the horse - called Delightful - have a good relationship. Delightful suggests that the man enter him into the strongest horse competition.
When the day of the competition arrives the man begins showing off and, worried that the horse will not win, he shouts at Delightful and treats the horse without respect. Afterwards the two of them speak about what has happened and agree to enter another competition. This time the outcome is different…
The moral of the story is that treating people harshly does not lead to reward; but respecting others with our words brings honour.
Duration: 3' 26"
Final words: 'We'll see you again soon! Bye-bye!'
Video questions
- What was the relationship like between the man and Delightful? (The man loved the horse and the horse worked hard for the man)
- Who suggested entering a competition? (Delightful)
- Why didn’t the horse win the competition? (He didn’t compete his best because the man spoke unkindly to him)
- How did the man feel when the horse did not win the first competition? (He felt ashamed and embarrassed)
- How was the second competition different? (The man spoke to Delightful with respect and the horse won the competition)
Teacher Notes
This video could be used to identify common features of religions and beliefs or to retell religious, spiritual and moral stories. To compare religions and worldviews, you could explore the way people show respect in different places of worship - eg taking off their shoes, covering their head, kneeling towards the altar, being quiet so that others can pray.
To retell the story of 'Delightful the Horse' use thought bubbles for the children to write down what Delightful might have felt during the first and second competition. Focus on the fact that during the first competition Delightful wasn’t shown respect and during the second competition he was.
Discuss the different people who work in the school community and make a list. Think about whether there are similar or different ways that we would show respect to each person in the school community - eg we might thank the staff that make our school dinners, we might say please when we ask for something from the school office, we might hold doors open for everyone and greet people saying ‘Good morning’. How would we greet parent visitors, governors and other visitors? After talking about all these little ways we show respect, children could draw a picture of one of the examples with speech bubbles showing what respectful words would be used. A good summary of these ‘respectful’ attributes is to listen, notice and care, be kind, polite and thankful.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
